Ancient & Medieval Manuscripts Dealer

Bruce Ferrini was one of the foremost dealers in Western Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts in the world.

Throughout his career he published more than a dozen catalogues such as the Important Illuminated Manuscripts, as well as numerous scholarly studies.-- Bruce passed away from natural causes in 2010; he was 60 years old.

The Ferrini Collection

During Bruce's career as a premier arts dealer, many hundreds of artifacts/items passed through his collection. Below are just a sampling of those extraordinary items.

The Gospel of James

3rd/4th Century Paprus Fragement

Fragment of Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, 3rd Century A.D.

Written in Coptic, ink on papyrus. Colossians 3:21-4:15

Mesopotamian Intaglio Cylinder Seal

Thomas Jefferson Letter to Tench Coxe

June 1, 1795 USA

The Marzeah Papyrus

The oldest surviving Hebrew papyrus by several centuries.The earliest extant written witness to the Name of God (Elohim). Egypt, Seventh Century B.C. (25mm x 125mm)

13th Century Illuminated Manuscript Psalter

Dead Sea Scroll fragment of the Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll

Circa 100 BC: A significant Biblical fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest extant witness to the Book of Leviticus. ‘Fragment L’ of the Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus discovered in Cave 11 at Qumran, now known as 11QpaleoLev

Dead Sea Scroll fragment (W17)

On parchment, in Aramaic and Greek, Roman-Judea c. 50A.D. – 1x 1 cm - Scholarly reports by Professor Drs. Emil Puech of Ecole Biblique, Jerusalem show that W17 has remains of 7 lines in Greek and remains of semitic letters of the cursive Aramaic type in a perpendicular direction. On W17 the writing can be inside linear blocks. This fragment can come from other Caves in the Judaean Desert than specifically Qumran, Bar Kokhba Caves, etc.

The Iliad of Homer V 365-397

Greece or Egypt, Possibly 3rd Century A.D. This fragment contains remnants of Iliad V lines 365-397. The location of these particular lines in the narrative of the Iliad is just after the goddess Aphrodite has been wounded in battle by the mortal warrior Diomedes.

The Iliad of Homer XXIII 1-25, 37-59 and 63-68

Greece or Egypt, Possibly 3rd Century A.D. Iliad XXIII opens with the Trojans mourning for the death of Hector.

46 lines of script, on impressed lines, in Carolingian minuscule script, very well preserved. Original document in which the Templar Bernat Guillem makes donation of his goods to his family and established the alms to be paid to various churches in Catalonia and to the Order of the Templars. An important document illustrating the role of the Templars in the life of Catalonia at the time of the Crusades.

Babylonia, ca. 1850-1843 B.C. This is a beautiful and displayable ancient document. The scribe who wrote this particular example had a fine calligraphic hand. The content is fascinating, too, mentioning the ancient gods; An, the sky-god; Enlil, the air-god; Nanna, the moon-god; etc. and discussing such everyday issues as “men’s wages”. Seen in its full context, it offers an illuminating view of life in early antiquity.